About RPM

RPM Challenge is a month long event that takes place in February each year to challenge musicians in recording an album's worth of all original music. Learn More

Listen

Strip Poker Face (2009)

Words. Music. Monkeys. Etc.

The Sound Of Nothing (2010)

Lots of samples. This was a fun album to make. And I like about half the songs which is pretty good for me....

If you're a massive nerd like me then you may enjoy these tidbits of info about each track. Sometimes I like the idea of listening to music in a vacuum, without context, but if you want the nitty gritty, read on.

The whole album was recorded, manipulated and mixed using Ableton Live, mostly during the last days of the challenge, friday 2/27 and saturday 2/28 and that's sort of obvious in a couple tracks... Unless otherwise noted below, all instrumentation written and performed by me (for better or worse).

I Want Your Text- pretty obvious sample for this (admittedly) filler intro track, twisted in Melodyne and left in a rest stop.

Delaware Ripcord- Some Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, with a great bassline by Shriekback. Man, I love Shriekback. Drums courtesy of Phil Collins Sussudio. The cowbell was lifted from Optimo by Liquid Liquid. The weird guitar part is the intro to Sara Smile by Hall & Oates, reversed and sloooowed way down.

The Sound Of Nothing- Unmistakably the intro from Separate Ways by Journey, a bass thump from Lowdown by Boz Scaggs and a large chunk of Making Plans For Nigel by XTC. Now, who said never put modulation effects on the master buss? Audio Damage's Automaton gets a workout on this track...

Hula Hooping- I like this one- piano from Evil Woman by ELO, the awesome pizzicato strings & Oberheim intro to Here Comes The Rain Again by the Eurythmics, guitar part from Adult Education by Hall & Oates (it says a lot that H&O are the only band I sampled more than once for this album) and a bit of the bassline from Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. Some acoustic drums provided by Ryan Gruss, chopped and reprogrammed by your truly (kind of proud of the drum programming on this one if I do say so myself...) synth bass plunked out by me as well. This one could use a remix though, it gets a little weak sounding in the middle.

Baby Carrots Of Doom- Manipulated bits of What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner makes up most of this track, with the tambourine part from The Bangles Walk Like An Egyptian, augmented later by the ring modulated intro to You're Gonna Miss Me by the 13th Floor Elevators

One More Mime- all the synths on this are my trusty little analog MFB Synth II run through more audio damage effects. Drums programmed by me, and the guitar is from One More Time by Joe Jackson.

Home Sweat Home- This was a fun one, the piano riff is from Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue, Ryan Gruss once again contributed the raw drums which I then chopped, diced and reprogrammed. The rest was played/programmed by me.

Solitary Rabbit- Footloose. Loggins. 'nuff said.

Stop Faking Sense- Burning by BOC and some drums from Duran Duran's Wild Boys. Ryan Gruss contributed some more raw acoustic drums, digital drums and all other instruments programmed by me.

Nuns 'n Hoses- 100% Guns N Roses samples. Not one lick of original music on this one. Ha! Sweet Child O Mine, Mr. Brownstone, My Michelle, Rocket Queen and Don't Cry all pull this nugget together. This was the inspiration for the whole album, I had so much fun pulling all those tracks apart and putting them together into something new I figured I'd try to make a whole album based (in some part, at least) on samples.

The Sound Of Nothing(2010)

Lots of samples. This was a fun album to make. And I like about half the songs which is pretty good for me....

If you're a massive nerd like me then you may enjoy these tidbits of info about each track. Sometimes I like the idea of listening to music in a vacuum, without context, but if you want the nitty gritty, read on.

The whole album was recorded, manipulated and mixed using Ableton Live, mostly during the last days of the challenge, friday 2/27 and saturday 2/28 and that's sort of obvious in a couple tracks... Unless otherwise noted below, all instrumentation written and performed by me (for better or worse).

I Want Your Text- pretty obvious sample for this (admittedly) filler intro track, twisted in Melodyne and left in a rest stop.

Delaware Ripcord- Some Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, with a great bassline by Shriekback. Man, I love Shriekback. Drums courtesy of Phil Collins Sussudio. The cowbell was lifted from Optimo by Liquid Liquid. The weird guitar part is the intro to Sara Smile by Hall & Oates, reversed and sloooowed way down.

The Sound Of Nothing- Unmistakably the intro from Separate Ways by Journey, a bass thump from Lowdown by Boz Scaggs and a large chunk of Making Plans For Nigel by XTC. Now, who said never put modulation effects on the master buss? Audio Damage's Automaton gets a workout on this track...

Hula Hooping- I like this one- piano from Evil Woman by ELO, the awesome pizzicato strings & Oberheim intro to Here Comes The Rain Again by the Eurythmics, guitar part from Adult Education by Hall & Oates (it says a lot that H&O are the only band I sampled more than once for this album) and a bit of the bassline from Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. Some acoustic drums provided by Ryan Gruss, chopped and reprogrammed by your truly (kind of proud of the drum programming on this one if I do say so myself...) synth bass plunked out by me as well. This one could use a remix though, it gets a little weak sounding in the middle.

Baby Carrots Of Doom- Manipulated bits of What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner makes up most of this track, with the tambourine part from The Bangles Walk Like An Egyptian, augmented later by the ring modulated intro to You're Gonna Miss Me by the 13th Floor Elevators

One More Mime- all the synths on this are my trusty little analog MFB Synth II run through more audio damage effects. Drums programmed by me, and the guitar is from One More Time by Joe Jackson.

Home Sweat Home- This was a fun one, the piano riff is from Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue, Ryan Gruss once again contributed the raw drums which I then chopped, diced and reprogrammed. The rest was played/programmed by me.

Solitary Rabbit- Footloose. Loggins. 'nuff said.

Stop Faking Sense- Burning by BOC and some drums from Duran Duran's Wild Boys. Ryan Gruss contributed some more raw acoustic drums, digital drums and all other instruments programmed by me.

Nuns 'n Hoses- 100% Guns N Roses samples. Not one lick of original music on this one. Ha! Sweet Child O Mine, Mr. Brownstone, My Michelle, Rocket Queen and Don't Cry all pull this nugget together. This was the inspiration for the whole album, I had so much fun pulling all those tracks apart and putting them together into something new I figured I'd try to make a whole album based (in some part, at least) on samples.